What are the main features of Cursor AI editor?
AI-powered coding
Cursor's headline feature is its AI chat, which can answer questions about your code, suggest fixes, and generate new code. You can reference specific files or the whole project for context.
Tab autocomplete predicts your next edit, not just the next word, and can suggest multi-line changes. Inline editing lets you select code and ask the AI to rewrite or refactor it directly in the editor.
There's also a 'Composer' mode for multi-file edits, where you describe a change and the AI applies it across several files. This is useful for tasks like renaming a function everywhere or adding a new feature.
- AI chat with codebase context
- Smart tab autocomplete
- Inline code generation and refactoring
- Multi-file editing with Composer
Editor and ecosystem
Cursor is a fork of VS Code, so it supports most VS Code extensions, themes, and keybindings. You can import your existing settings and extensions during setup.
It includes standard editor features like debugging, Git integration, and a terminal. Because it's based on VS Code, the learning curve is small if you're already familiar with that editor.
Cursor also adds its own shortcuts, like Cmd+K for inline AI edits and Cmd+L for chat. These can be customized in the settings.
Common mistakes
- Thinking Cursor is a completely new editor from scratch—it's built on VS Code, so most things work the same.
- Expecting AI to be perfect out of the box; you often need to provide clear context or select relevant code.
- Assuming all VS Code extensions work flawlessly—some may have compatibility issues, though most do.
